Effect of Varying Ramp Angle and Leading-Edge Bluntness on the Behavior of Ramp Induced Shock Wave over Triple Ramped Cone Flare Configuration at Hypersonic Speed

Abstract

Numerical simulation results are presented to show the effect of ramp angle variations and leading-edge bluntness on the flow around triple ramped cone flare in hypersonic flow. This study investigates the changes associated with shock wave boundary layer interaction due to ramp induced flow breakdown and the fluctuation in flow in the presence of blunted leading edge. This type of ramp junctions typically features in re-entry vehicles, engine intakes, system and sub-system junctions, control surfaces, etc. Ramp junctions usually are associated with strong separation bubble that has significant upstream influence impacting the effectiveness of aerodynamic surfaces, engine performance, thermal behavior and stability. Computation studies are carried out using finite volume-based RANS solver, accuracy of second order and considering compressible laminar flow characteristics, with solver settings provided similar to experimental conditions as per literature. Comprehensive double ramp studies with suggestions on reducing the separation bubble size are invariantly considered in literature, however there has been no study in understanding the inclusion of additional ramps in such flow scenarios, hence efforts are taken to understand the benefits and implications of including a third ramp along with varying bluntness on the bubble size and its upstream intensity.